Türkiye might become water poor by 2030: Minister

ANKARA

As Türkiye has experienced water stress, if necessary precautions are not taken, the country might become water poor by 2030, stated Agriculture and Forestry Minister Vahit Kirişçi.

The water problem is a critical issue for Türkiye as well as for other countries in the world, Kirişçi underlined at the introductory meeting of the “Türkiye Agricultural Drought Combat Strategy and Action Plan,” which includes the period 2023-2027.

Reminding that Türkiye is located in a semi-arid location in the Mediterranean region, Kirişçi pointed out that the country uses 58 billion cubic meters of 112 billion cubic meters of water.

“We use 75-76 percent of these 58 billion cubic meters for agricultural irrigation, 11-12 percent for drinking and 10 percent for industrial purposes,” he explained.

Expressing that the country is experiencing water stress though it is not considered as water poor country for now, Kirişçi pointed out that the main reasons behind this problem are the rate of increase in the population and water usage habits.

“Considering the population and the industrialization process, even if we are in the category of countries under water stress with 1,323 liters [per capita] for today, it will decrease to 750 liters in 2030, so we will become a water poor country,” Kirişçi explained.

It is not possible to rewind the process after Türkiye is included in the category of water poor countries, the minister added.

“After this process has passed, we can no longer go back to the good old days we wished for. The most important thing we need to do is to slow down this process and minimize its effects as much as possible.”

“There is no success to be achieved only with the measures we will take and the methods we will apply. Global issues require global solutions,” Kirişçi said.

‘Drought should be taken seriously’

Underlining that the awareness about the water problem and agricultural drought has still not been fully adopted, Kirişçi said that drought is a problem that should be taken seriously immediately.

“Drought is an issue that we have to accept. Minimizing this requires some measures that we need to implement without wasting time,” Kirişçi explained.

The main purpose in the fight against drought is to increase public awareness, to include all stakeholders in the process, to take into account supply and demand management, to take all necessary measures and to reduce the effects of drought by implementing an effective combat program, he stated.

“This plan has been prepared with the aim of determining the measures to be taken before and after in case of insufficient water in our country due to drought or other reasons mentioned in the future.”